 Christmas Tree Tradition
Each pagan civilization has had its sacred tree which, in itself, represents the three parts of the cosmos: The roots are the underground world, the trunk is the earth and the foliage is the sky. Traditionally, that tree would be an oak tree but as of the twelfth century it was superseded by the fir tree which was easier to find and less expensive.
The Christmas tree, always present inside the home, has the dual role of decorating as well as gathering Christmas gifts for the family. It is said that the Christmas tree first appeared in Alsace, France in 1521.
However, it would seem that the tradition of decorating a tree is more ancient; for the winter solstice, the Celts would decorate a tree, a symbol of life. The Scandinavians observed the same tradition for the celebration of Jôl which occurred around the same date as Christmas. In fact, the Catholic church regarded this practice as a pagan one up until the middle of the twentieth century. Conversely, the Protestants adopted the tree as symbol of the tree of paradise at the time of the Reformation of 1560.
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Christmas 
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